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Healthy and Active Communities for Older Adults

Healthy and Active Communities for Older Adults. Three Successful Community Initiatives. Overview. Ruth Egger, University of Washington Southeast Senior Physical Activity Network Marigrace Becker, Seattle Parks and Recreation Sound Steps Walking Program Seth Schromen-Wawrin, Feet First

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Healthy and Active Communities for Older Adults

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  1. Healthy and Active Communities for Older Adults Three Successful Community Initiatives

  2. Overview • Ruth Egger, University of Washington • Southeast Senior Physical Activity Network • Marigrace Becker, Seattle Parks and Recreation • Sound Steps Walking Program • Seth Schromen-Wawrin, Feet First • Go Cart for Groceries

  3. SE-SPAN – Southeast Senior Physical Activity Network Ruth Egger University of Washington

  4. SE-SPAN Goals • Promote physical activity (PA) among older adults in Southeast Seattle • Test a community organizing model of creating senior exercise programs and promoting environmental and policy change • Find ways of sustaining both individual programs and the overall organizing model

  5. Community Organizing Approach • Create new senior physical activity programs by bringing together providers and populations • Work toward long-term policy/environmental change and sustainability by building a broader community coalition

  6. Organizing Approach #1 - Programs • Populations and providers • Program examples: Walking groups, Enhance Fitness classes, Matter of Balance, Tai Chi • Accomplishments • Challenges and lessons learned

  7. Populations • Five senior housing buildings • SHA Housing • Meal sites-Filipino, Laotian, Vietnamese • Religious organizations and churches • Senior Center • Neighborhood House • Jefferson, Rainier and Rainier Beach CCs • Rainier Park, Rainier Beach Health Clinics and International Community Health Clinic

  8. Providers • Seattle Parks and Recreation-Sound Steps and Senior Adult Programs • Senior Center-Enhance Fitness, both active and chair based; Senior Hikes • Ethnic Meal Sites and Refugee Groups • Senior Housing • Churches and religious organizations • Health Clinics • Rainier Health and Fitness-Enhance Fitness

  9. Peter Claver Enhance Fitness

  10. 10 walking groups, 10 Enhance fitness classes (200 total participants) Health benefits cited by participants Productive collaboration with Parks and Recreation, Group Health Cooperative, Senior Services Grant to pay walk leaders Former PALS participant is now a walk leader Walk leaders are taking leadership roles in other programs Informal community of walkers and Enhance Fitness participants forming Program Accomplishments

  11. Organizing Approach #2 - Coalition • Coalition-building approaches • Coalition example: Healthy and Active Rainier Valley Coalition- HARV-C • Accomplishments • Challenges and lessons learned

  12. Coalition Example: Healthy and Active Rainier Valley Coalition • Started with Columbia City Walks health fair • Organizations involved in event wanted to continue their relationships • Worked with local Steps to a Healthier US project to provide support for the group • Identified specific goals and activities: Shop-arounds, Healthy Restaurant Initiative, In Motion, physical activity survey

  13. Coalition Accomplishments • Network of organizations with relationships with SESPAN • Small group of committed partners to help support the effort • Healthy and Active Rainier Valley Coalition holding regular meetings, working on projects • $30,000 available from STEPS for small grant projects • Student interns developed logo and PR materials

  14. Summary • Early SESPAN results promising • Organizing approach has led to new senior exercise programs and a local health coalition • Outreach to informal settings for fitness programs.

  15. Sound Steps Marigrace Becker Seattle Parks and Recreation

  16. Purpose To improve the health and wellness of Seattle adults age 50+ by implementing a community-based walking program designed to encourage physical activity and social interaction.

  17. Step 1: Identify • Target a group of people based on locale, demographics, ability, common interests, desired health outcomes • Find a program “champion” to be team captain

  18. Step 2: Organize • Ask program champion to publicize meeting • Describe health benefits of walking • As a group, decide: • Walk days/times & Start date • Walk route • Incentives • Further outreach methods

  19. Step 3: Mobilize • Spread the word • Keep it flexible • Speed, distance, route • Keep it fun • Special Events • Walker Discounts • Goals/Competitions

  20. Step 4: Sustain • Partner with housing, health and senior related organizations. • Recognize and empower volunteers

  21. SE-SPAN + Sound Steps Partneringformaximumsuccess

  22. Walk Around the World

  23. Walk and Roll

  24. Walk with the Mariners

  25. Senior Half Marathon Walk

  26. Go Cart For Groceries Seth Schromen-Wawrin Feet First

  27. Goals • Increase number of walking trips • Make it easier for people to walk to the grocery store • Reduce the amount of driving for short distance errands Funded through Active Living by Design

  28. Social Marketing Plan • Behavior Change • Increase physical activity • Overcoming stereotypes – increase amount of carts • Assessment of stakeholders • Phone survey • Focus groups • Product • Price • Place • Promotion

  29. Pilot Program • 3 target populations • Westwood Heights: Elderly, low-income, Seattle Housing Authority • Westwood Heights East: family, low-income, Seattle Housing Authority • Westwood Neighborhood: single family residences, diverse income, live within ½ mile of a target shopping area • 2 types of carts • VersaCart (SHA) • Perigot (single family) ½ mile Safeway Westwood Heights Westwood Heights East

  30. Fancy cart (Perigot) Functional cart (VersaCart) The Carts

  31. Distribution • WWH • Resident Council • WWHE • Door hanger • Door to door • Single Family • QFC • Door hanger • Door to door • Media

  32. Who’s taking part? • Median age = 55-64 • Physical activity level: • ~30 minutes a day • WWH higher; WHE lower

  33. Lessons • Easy buy-in • Self-selection? • Difficulties in distribution • Many people interested, but not at the same destination • Avoid a salesman stigma • Shared vs individual

  34. Stories • “Who would not want a cart with the price of gas this high!?” • “I can only stand up for less than an hour, so this will make my life much easier and more comfortable” • “Oh, I can take this on the bus and go up to the Farmer’s Market. And put my laundry in it. It will be great for many things!” • “We always try to walk to the store and take those canvas bags, but sometimes they just get to heavy and we can’t carry it all.” • Many different reasons that people chose to take part

  35. Questions?

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